How new music from popular Vermont artists will help kids

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - New music from some of Vermont’s top artists will help kids get medical care.

DJ Fattie B., aka Kyle Thompson is out with an ambitious new record. Thompson is a popular rapper and DJ who was the frontman for two of Burlington’s most successful hip-hop bands in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The album is called “Gumbo.” It’s a massive collaboration that features an all-star lineup, a real who’s who in the Vermont music scene.

But how it came to be stems from Fattie B.’s health scare with a heart condition, and the kindness of a kid who was sick with heart problems himself. Twelve-year-old Reese Payea sent Fattie B. a message of hope.

“I decided in that moment I’d change my life and do projects I wanted to for a while. And the top of that list was to make this collaborative album,” Thompson said.

Watch the video to see our Darren Perron’s full conversation with Kyle Thompson.

Part of the proceeds from the album and an upcoming release party will benefit the Boston Children’s Hospital where Reese will be treated. The release party is on Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. at the Double E in Essex. Click here for more details.

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